


Straight for the Castle

by hcwlingnights



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, I mean sort of?, vampire!Veronica, werewolf!Betty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-23 14:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10720797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hcwlingnights/pseuds/hcwlingnights
Summary: The Lodge family has always been full of powerful vampires. The youngest Lodge, Veronica, was no exception to that. It was also common knowledge that she did her best to help out anyone in need. That's when fate decides to throw Veronica and Betty together, as Betty is thrust into Veronica's life in desperate need of help.orSupernatural AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the purposes of this story, vampires are not immortal, they can die from sickness or by being injured so badly they can't heal themselves (i.e. being torn to shreds), however they do tend to heal quicker if they are bruised or cut and such. It just makes writing the romance easier when they both age at the same rate.

The Lodge family has always been full of powerful vampires. Generation after generation, the bloodline has been strong, and their lifestyle rich. To say they lived in a mansion would be understating it, their home was practically a palace, complete with acres of land, and a particular room on the lowest level that they refused to call a _dungeon_ per say, but it could certainly be considered something similar. Not that they've ever used it. As powerful as the Lodges are, they've always been known as peaceful and kind. Using their money to benefit the community, and just generally being good-hearted people.

The youngest Lodge, Veronica, was no exception to that. It was clear that she held great power, which earned her great respect, it was also common knowledge that she did her best to help out anyone in need. That's not to say, however, that she was incapable of manipulation where it's do. 

The same could not be said for Veronica's dear frenemy, Cheryl Blossom. Also from a powerful vampire bloodline, the girls stuck together, even if Cheryl lacked Veronica's compassion. As of recent events, that is to be forgiven. Last month Cheryl's twin brother, Jason, had been found torn to shreds in the lake. The human locals blamed wolves, and while they are rather close in the guess, they were quite wrong in assuming the culprit was a regular creature. Something of this magnitude could only have been done by werewolves.

There was at least one known pack in Riverdale, with God knows how many members. In a sort of unspoken law, the werewolves kept to the outskirts of the town and the surrounding wooods, and the vampires stayed in the center of it all. Altercations between the two species were few and far between because of this agreement, however that didn't stop the hate from growing. Even if Jason's murder hadn't been so obviously committed by a wolf, one would likely be blamed anyway. Due to the overwhelming evidence of course, the blame almost seems justified. 

Cheryl was hit the hardest of her family. For weeks following the incident she'd become recluse, refusing to leave the house or talk to anyone. This included Veronica. So now, a month after the incident as Cheryl announces she's throwing a party at her own palace of a house, Veronica is stunned. How does someone go from miserable and shutting out the world to excitedly going on about the surprise she has in store for her guests. All of whom were vampires, of course. As skeptical as Veronica was, she still sent in her RSVP. Cheryl was her friend… sort of. So she was going to this party, no matter how oddly timed it may be. 

* * *

Smithers dropped her off at the Blossom estate maybe an hour ago, and so far none of the party guests had seen their host yet. All the vampires were dressed in their best attire, suits for the men and gowns for the women, even in the 21st century, class never dies. Veronica was clad in a dress that fell just above the knee, black, with a slit revealing some clevage while still keeping some things to the imagination. 

For the past hour the vampires had been sipping on blood in wine glasses and making dull conversation with one and other. They'd come for a Blossom party, and the standards weren't exactly meeting expectation. Veronica was just about to pull her phone out and text the redhead, when she appeared in the room, entering dramatically from double doors. 

"Hello my Vixens." Cheryl greeted, grinning from ear to ear. It was almost a frightening sight. She was wearing a blood red dress, and her eyes looked bloodshot, as though she'd been crying recently. Veronica would've felt bad if she didn't feel so afraid. Something was off. "I know I promised you all a night of entertainment, and that tonight has been seriously lacking in such." There was a few grumbles of agreement, that earned glares from the hostess. "But no longer! The entertainment has arrived!"

That's when two staffers brought her out. The _entertainment._ A blond girl, about the same age as everyone else in the room, bound in shackles and so weakened that the two men were quite literally dragging her, as though she had no strength in her to even entertain the possibility of standing. There was a wreath of some sort of plant in her head, and in a horribly ironic way it almost looked like a crown. Her clothes were so tattered and dirty that Veronica couldn't help but wonder just how long Cheryl had been keeping her here, and from the bruising all over the girl's body, how much damage Cheryl had done in that time. 

Then the smell hit her like a strong wave at the beach. _Wolf._ Veronica took a closerlook at the girl and everything began making sense. The wreath on top of the girl's head was wolfsbane, a plant extremely dangerous for werewolves. Ingesting it could kill one, but even being in the vicinity of the plant causes them great pain along with weakening both their powers and overall well being. The shackles on the girl's wrists were silver, no doubt burning the poor creature's skin where it made contact, and preventing her from shifting. Apparently the smell reached the others as well, as there were whistles and cheers at the prospect of having a werewolf so beaten and broken right at their feet. Instantly the partygoers began moving in on the blond, who didn't even raise her head. Still, they all stopped before they got too close. This was after all a werewolf, and they weren't to be messed with. 

Cheryl rolled her eyes of scoffed. "Really? She's harmless you wimps, you don't need to stand so far. Though I can't promise you won't catch flees." She spat, and a rather uneasy laugh went through the crowd, but still nobody moved. That was until Chuck Clayton strode forwards, a nervous look on his face despite his swaggerful walk, and stopped just before the blonde. He merely stared at her for a few moments, clearly testing to see how she'd react, and when the girl didn't move aside from her labored breathing, he smiled a sly, sickening grin before sliding his foot between her legs roughly. 

The girl visibly tensed, and Chuck let out a laugh, confidence and arrogance growing. "What? You're not gonna rut against me like the dog you are? C'mon, you mutt." He taunted, applying more force against the girl when she still didn't move. Veronica on the other hand, couldn't stay still.

Of course it was Chuck fucking Clayton, misogynistic bastard that he was to step forwards first. No matter what species you are, no woman should be treated like that, and Veronica intented to give Chuck a piece of her mind on the matter, but she didn't move fast enough. Vampires on either side of her shoved past, eager to get their shot at tormenting the werewolf.

The guests all descended on her at once, and instantly began sinking their fangs into her wherever they could find space, her legs, her arms, her throat. Veronica's blood ran cold as the blonde let out a guttural scream of agony, stopping her in her tracks. The sound brought her physical pain, a hand flying up to clutch at her stomach as Veronica leaned against the table to try to steady herself against the sound. It felt like a knife twisting in side of her, to hear the girl in so much pain. As she screamed the blonde lifted her head, eyes flying open. They fell on Veronica and locked with her own eyes. Suddenly Veronica felt a stirring she'd never felt before. A longing to pull the girl into her arms and protect her, to comfort her and make sure the universe never got the chance to hurt her again. To give her anything she wanted and more.

 _"Stop it."_ Veronica's voice was so soft not even she was sure she uttered the words, a mere whisper among the hollering of sick sadistic laughter, but as she saw Chuck grind his foot into the girl a little more, the outrage coursing through her veins provoked her to be much louder. "Stop it! Get away from her!" This time, when she spoke, it was a roar that made everyone in the room jump, including Cheryl herself. She pushed through the crowd and ripped Chuck away from the girl, as well as bared her fangs at anyone else who dared to lay hands on her. Within seconds everyone had retracted their fangs from the werewolf's body and backed up a bit, clearly not too keen on facing Veronica's wrath. As she was released, the wolf slumped back to the ground, breathing shakily as though each breath took strenuous effort. 

Veronica moved on instinct, swiping the crown of wolvesbane off the blonde's head and casting it off into the corner of the room before addressing the shackles. She reached out to take a better look, and the girl flinched away, effectively breaking Veronica's heart.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She said softly, and moved slowly as she gingerly took the girl's wrists in her grasp, pulling them into her lap for inspection. The skin under the cuffs was burnt due to the silver, and as the girl gasped at the slightest movement of her wrists, Veronica growled deeply. 

"Give me the key Cheryl." She demanded, gingerly moving the blonde's wrists from her lap to the ground as she stood to face her so called friend. "Get those off of her."

A murmur of disbelief went through the crowd, and a look of disgust found its way to Cheryl's face. 

"Have you lost your damn mind Veronica? Her kind _murdered_ Jason. They ripped him apart and threw his body in the damn river, and you're upset that this… beast, has a few boo-boos?" So that's what this was all about. Jason's murder.

"She's innocent Cheryl. It's not like she's the one who killed Jason, you have no reason to treat her like this!" Veronica exclaimed, standing protectively over the wounded girl as Cheryl began walking towards them. She let out a warning growl, and bared her fangs, but Cheryl refused to stop her advances. 

"So what if she is innocent? She's still a mangy mutt! She deserves this Veronica, they all deserve this. Why are you even defending her? She deserves to die Veronica. She's nothing but a worthless dog."

And with that, all Veronica could see was red. Moving with super speed, she ripped a leg off of the coffee table before pining Cheryl against the wall, her makeshift wooden spike at her throat.

"Cheryl you unchain her right now or so help me God I will stake you here and now at your own damn party." She snarled out, her eyes changing from her usual shade of brown to a threatening shade of red. Murmurs ran through the crowd, at both this violent display and the fact Veronica had uttered the big bad "G" word. After all, it took a strong vampire to be able to speak the Lord's name, when they were creatures of the Devil.

Cheryl's eyes shifted red as well, and she let out a growl, but Veronica could feel her gulp from where her hands laid at her throat. No matter how cool Cheryl was trying to play it, Veronica knew she was nervous. 

"Fine. She's probably brought mange and fleas into the house anyway. Don't want her dirtying up the rug much longer." She finally spat out, and Veronica released Cheryl's throat.

Cheryl quickly moved over to the blonde, and with a considerable lack of care, grabbed her wrists to get to the shackles. The wolf cried out in pain and Veronica nearly snarled at Cheryl, but she held it in. She'd best not push it, at least she's getting the girl out of here. Cheryl wrenched the girl up onto her feet before undoing the lock, the metal falling to the floor. She gave the girl a shove in Veronica's direction that send her stumbling back to her knees. It was clear that she didn't have the strength to stand, so Veronica sweeped her up into her arms bridal style. It was certainly a sight, as the blonde was considerably taller than Veronica, but with her super strength lifting her wasn't an issue. The girl was shivering, and Veronica couldn't tell if it was from fright or pain. Most likely a mixture of both. "I've got you. Don't worry." She murmured, clutching her close. She felt her heart pang in an inexplicable way, and that urge to protect the blonde wash over her once more.

"I assume you'll be leaving now." Cheryl said, and it didn't sound like a request. Not like Veronica wanted to stick around any longer.

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it." She responded quickly, already heading towards the door. She grabbed her cape from where it was hanging in the foyer and dropped it over the blonde rather than wear it herself, before kicking the front door open with her foot and heading down towards the rode. Once there she kept the blonde in her grasp with one hand, and with the other called Smithers to come pick them up immediately. If it were just herself she'd simply run home, but she wasn't sure swift movement would benefit the girl.

As they waited for Smithers, Veronica sought out a bench and sat down with the blonde still in her lap. "You're going to be alright." She whispered, though as she observed the wolf in her arms, she wasn't too sure of how true that statement was. The blonde wasn't deathly pale, bite punctures scattered all along her body, and various bruising discoloring her skin. How long did Cheryl have her here, how severe was she hurt? Veronica was no doctor but this didn't look god, especially as the blonde seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. "What's your name?" She asked quickly, almost frantically, as a way to try to keep her engaged and alert until Smithers got there. Maybe she should've run.

Then, in a whisper so faint that it'd be inaudible to someone without supernatural hearing, Veronica received a reply. 

"Betty." 

With that, the girl, Betty, went limp in Veronica's arms, finally succumbing to her exhaustion and passing out just as Smithers appeared with the car. Veronica was quick to gently rest Betty in the backseat, getting in the front and demanding Smithers break ever speed limit there was in order to get Betty home as quickly as possible. She wasn't going to protect and care for Betty if it was the last thing she did.


	2. Chapter 2

The second Smithers pulled the car onto estate property, Veronica was gone with a whoosh of air, having gotten out of the car, gently pulled Betty from the backseat, and rushed up to the door of her home within a blink of an eye. Smithers, their human butler, just sighed and shook his head.

"And the point of having me even drive and get you was…?" He mumbled to himself, driving the car the rest of the way up the driveway.

  
Veronica must have scared her parents shitless, bursting into the room holding a random broken werewolf in her arms with tears streaming down her face. She didn't even realize she'd begun crying until a few tears dripped onto Betty's face, causing her to wildly look around for the source of the offending water before realizing it was coming from herself.

It took all of a minute for Hiram and Hermione Lodge to meet Veronica in the foyer, take one look at how distraught their daughter was, and decide that the fact the girl was a werewolf wasn't enough for them to cast her out, especially with Veronica clutching her so protectively. Without saying a word to each other, Veronica's parents went to work, seemingly in sync in their plan as Hermione rushed to Veronica's side, helping her to bring Betty into a spare room (she'd offered to take Betty from her so she wouldn't have to carry her any longer, only to be greeted with a small possessive growl that Veronica couldn't help but let out). Hiram had gone out the door, zooming passed a very frazzled Smithers on his way, intent on finding the very best doctor there was in the town and compelling him to make a house call up to the estate. Only the best for anyone that his _pequena princesa_ felt so strongly about (in the back of his mind he recalled reacting in a similar fashion when he'd come across a certain vampire being pushed around as a waitress at Pop's Diner, before she'd married Hiram and inherited their fortune of course).

Veronica was almost running on auto pilot as she waited for her father to return, moving about the room and trying to provide as much comfort to her guest as she could, bringing countless pillows from other rooms and arranging them about Betty, grabbing a spare blanket and draping it over the girl when she noticed her shivering hadn't ceased, even darting down to the kitchen and making a pot of tea for the off chance Betty woke up before the doctor arrived and was thirsty, anything to avoid thinking about the pain Betty must be feeling, and more importantly why she cared so much.

Once the doctor did arrive, Veronica had gotten herself locked out of the room within the first five minutes of him working on Betty, when she'd cried out in pain and she had pinned the doctor to the wall, baring her fangs viciously. With some angry grumbling she allowed her mother to drag her off of him, and gently guide her out of the room until he was done treating Betty's wounds. Even in her exile Veronica couldn't bring herself to go far, instead she chose to wait just outside the door, knees to her chest and head in her hands. _What was going on with her?_ Why did she care so much for this girl that she'd just met, not like you could even call it a meeting, more like witnessing the other's torture. From the minute Betty locked eyes with her, she just… couldn't help herself. She wanted to be by her side forever, to turn that fear into laughter and happiness no matter the cost. It was like that was her sole mission in life now, to keep Betty out of harm's reach.

As soon as the door opened Veronica was on her feet, eagerness to return to Betty's side showing clearly in her eyes. She stepped aside politely to let the doctor exit, being escorted out by Hermione as she compelled him to forget tonight's events, before she found herself scurrying into the room. The sight of Betty sent a pang of sadness to her heart. An IV line was connected to her hand, administering painkillers along with restoring the blood she had lost. At any other point in time the blood in the bag would be tempting, but now the thought simply repulsed her. Betty was bandaged all over where she had been bitten, and her bruises had begun to show more prominently on her skin, darkening to a sickening shade. Veronica faintly noticed her mother reenter the room and rest a hand on her shoulder, telling her in a gentle voice that Betty had a few fractured ribs, and that she lost quite a lot of blood, but that she'll be okay.

"The burns from the silver were rather severe, but Dr. Stein applied some salve and wrapping them to ward off any infection. They may scar." Hermione added, sympathy coating her words as she looked at the blonde resting in bed. Even if she was a werewolf, she couldn't imagine putting an innocent through this much torment.

Rage began to flood Veronica's senses again as she thought of how Cheryl had surely been the one to inflict that trauma to Betty's ribs, how Cheryl had possibly marked her for live with those scars, however it quickly flew out the window as Betty's hand twitched in the slightest way possible. In a flash Veronica was at her bedside, watching her with eyebrows furrowed in concern. She could hear Hermione moving things around in the room, but didn't take her eyes off of Betty until her mother came into her peripheral vision, moving a large comfy chair next to the bed and guiding Veronica into it. She sat, still in a sort of trance, and she thanked her mother without letting Betty out of her sight.

"Of course _mija_. She's going to be alright, but you should get some rest." She said in a gentle tone, looking at her daughter with fondness in her eyes. She truly had raised a remarkable young woman. She placed a kiss on Veronica's forehead, before leaving her alone with Betty. 

* * *

 

It was probably another twelve hours before Betty woke, and as she did, panic began to envelop her as she remembered she wasn't with her pack. She hadn't been with her pack for maybe a week now, or had it been longer? It was hard to keep track of time with that redheaded she devil was keeping her captive in that dungeon of hers, far away from the comfort of her woods and instead in the cold, dankness of a cell with silver shackles restricting her movement, burning her skin. She could feel the panic rising in her throat like bile, feel herself begin to hyperventilate, before she took a moment to actual assess her surroundings. The first thing that threw her off was the softness she felt around her, along with the warmth. Timidly, she opened one eye and looked around to find herself engulfed in a mountain of pillows, and under two fluffy blankets. Her panic gave way to utter confusion as she opened her other eye, noticing that she was bandaged up and taken care of. It wasn't until her eyes landed on the brunette next to her bed, asleep and curled up in a rather luxurious wingback chair that her memories began to filter back to her. She remembered the redhead, Cheryl, dragging her out of her cell the night before to amuse her friends. She remembered that God awful man who laid his hands, or rather foot, on her and the other dreaded vampires that sank their teeth into her flesh. Most of all however, she remembered the brunette besides her, now snoring softly as she slept, and how she'd come to her aid, fought all the others back and taken her away from that wretched place. Betty couldn't figure out a motive for why she would do such a thing, and while every logical piece of her body was telling her that this was possibly another trap, she couldn't help but feel that this girl meant her no harm. That she was safe here with her.

Betty began trying to sit up, however quickly abandoned that idea as a sharp pain shot through her chest, causing her to call out in pain and sink back into the bed. Immediately the brunette's eyes shot up and she was on her feet, peering down at Betty with a worrisome expression on her face.

"Betty? Are you alright? Are you hurting, do you need any more painkillers?" She asked immediately, questions coming out faster than Betty could answer.

"How do you know my name?" Betty didn't mean for it to come out as harshly as it did, an edge to her tone and words bitting, but she couldn't help it as the fear began creeping back.

Veronica, sensing that she may be overwhelming her, took a small step back and glanced down at her feet. "You told me last night. You were pretty out of it though, you… you probably forgot." She said, and for whatever reason, Betty believed her, nodding her head thoughtfully and slowly. "I'm Veronica by the way," she offered tentatively, hoping to maybe calm Betty's nerves. "Veronica Lodge."

Instantly Betty's eyebrows shot up. "Lodge? As in, super powerful vampire bloodline Lodge?" She questioned, drawing a nervous chuckle from Veronica.

"Yeah I suppose that's us." She muttered, blushing and rubbing the back of her neck. Why was she so damn nervous around Betty? She felt like her stomach was tying itself into knots.

Betty began nodding once more, eyes still wide at the revelation of who her survivor was. "So why the hell would you help me?" She blurted out, biting her lip as soon as she words left her mouth.

Veronica looked utterly stunned. "Why wouldn't I help you? Cheryl had no reason to treat you like that, to treat anybody like that for that matter! I couldn't just let them hurt you like that, it… it was making me sick." She replied quickly, venom dripping from her words as she mentioned Cheryl's name. It should have startled Betty, but it didn't. Instead it sort of fascinated her, watching as her chocolaty brown eyes filled with fire and determination, it made her heart flutter a bit in a way she didn't quite understand.

She let her eyes roam around Veronica's body, taking her in. She was shorter than she seemed when Betty was lying on the ground looking up at her, and far less intimidating than she was with a stake against her captor's throat. In fact, she actually looked gentle, and kind.

Veronica noticed Betty's staring and blushed a deep red, clearing her throat and looking at the watch on her wrist. "You must be hungry, it's past one." She murmured, and no sooner did she utter the words the door to the room flew open, causing Betty to jump and grab Veronica's hand on instinct, heart pounding. Veronica reflexively gave her hand a gentle squeeze before turning to face the intruder. Her mother, carrying a tray of various breakfast items including pancakes, bagels, waffles, bacon, ham, and a variety of fruit, along with coffee, milk, and orange juice.

"I heard someone say that they were hungry and I whipped a little something together." Hermione announced matter of factly, holding the tray in one hand with ease and dragging a small table to the side of the bed with the other. "I didn't know what you liked dear, so I just brought a bit of everything." She rested the tray on the table and gave Betty a soft smile that effectively calmed her nerves, and she offered a timid smile of her own in return. Veronica on the other hand, looked mortified in a way that only a mother could inflict on her daughter.

"Mom were you eavesdropping on me again?!" She seethed, drawing a small chuckle from Betty as Hermione just waved her hand in the air nonchalantly.

"A mother is allowed too, especially when we have guests." She justified, with a wink towards Betty. "Besides, I know how grumpy you can be before you've had your coffee," she added, giving Veronica a pointed look that drew another blush from the vampire.

"You drink coffee?" Betty asked softly, curiosity evident in her tone. "I thought all vampires needed to survive was blood." To that, both Veronica and Hermione laughed.

"I mean that's true, but would you give up coffee and bacon if you didn't have to?" Veronica said simply, shrugging as she picked up a mug of coffee from the tray and returned to her chair. Betty chuckled at the explanation, and Veronica felt her heart warm, making it her top priority to hear that laugh again and again throughout her life.

It took Betty a moment of hesitation before she reached out and grabbed an apple from the tray, with Hermione nudging it closer to her as she noticed her wince in pain from the movement.

Once Hermione was satisfied that both girls were eating, she nodded and headed for the door. "Let me know if you need anything else _mija_. You too Betty, anything at all, just ask."

Betty felt herself blush at the act of kindness and watched Veronica sip her coffee as she thoughtfully munched on her apple. "Thank you." She finally whispered, eyes flickering from Veronica's face to the floor. "For saving me, and for treating me so well." She heard Veronica shift in her chair before she felt fingers under her chin, gently tilting her face up until she was peering into Veronica's beautiful eyes once more.

"Of course Betty. I want to make you happy." She whispered, genuine care in her voice, and the girls stared at each other a moment before they both quickly averting their gazes. Neither girl mentioned how their hearts skipped a beat when they looked at each other, or how desperately they each wanted to reach out and hold the other.

* * *

  
"Mom, I need to go to the library." Veronica announced, descending the stairs two at a time and grabbing her cloak from where it was hanging.

Hermione rounding the corner into, arms crossed over her chest and an amused look on her face. "The library? Do you even know where that is?" She joked, raising an eyebrow at her daughter who shot her a glare in return.

"Not necessarily but I'll look it up on my phone." She huffed, pulling her cloak around her shoulders and heading towards the door in the hopes her mother would stop asking questions. That was wishful thinking.

"So why may I ask,  _princesa_ , are you going to the library for the first time in your life?" Hermione inquired, leaning against the banister with a wide grin. She already had a hunch, but it was so much better to mess with her daughter than just go flat out with her instincts.

Veronica blushed, and looked at the ground. "Betty was telling me how much she loves to read and I thought maybe some books would help her recover." She mumbled, causing her mother to grin wider than the Cheshire Cat.

"Well if it's for our Miss Betty, I shall't stall you any longer." She announced, chuckling softly to herself as Veronica stuck out her tongue at her.

"I hate you, you know." Veronica mumbled, drawing a bark of laughter from Hermione.

"Oh sure you do, but I certainly know one person you don't hate in this household."

Before Veronica could turn any redder, she left for the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll see more of Betty's recovery in the next chapter, along with Veronica being an adorable gay mush.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not have a beta-reader, so all mistakes are my own.

Within a week's time, Betty and Veronica were inseparable. For the first few days or so Betty remained in bed, the pain from her ribs too great to really move, with the added overall exhaustion keeping her immobile. To her surprise, Veronica kept her company. She was expecting the girl to go about her life despite her presence, it was a kind enough gesture to have her in the house to begin with after all, so when Veronica returned after leaving the first day with a pile a books nearly taller than herself, Betty was shocked. Neither girl spoke as Veronica set herself up in her chair, placing her pile on the table and sifting through to find one that suited her fancy, Betty watching her incredulously all the while. Veronica made it clear she had no intention of leaving once she'd found the chosen book, settling in and beginning to read to Betty. The blonde had no complaints. Even after they'd finished the first book (a feat that took maybe three hours at the max, Veronica was a very skilled and quick reader), Veronica merely asked if Betty was feeling alright and if she was comfortable enough before beginning the next book.

They only got about half way through when Hiram gently knocked on the door before entering, carrying a tray of pork chops and green beans for dinner. There was also a bag of blood for Veronica, and for the first time since she'd left for the library, she excused herself from the room, drinking her sustenance outside so Betty wouldn't have to bare witness to the sight.

While Veronica was gone, Hiram kept her company. The man was certainly more intimidating looking than his daughter, at least six inches than his daughter and taller than Betty, especially with her laid up in bed, with a sharp jaw, slicked back hair, and the expression of a man that means business. Betty could feel her heart rate increase as she realized she was left alone in the room with him, and suddenly all she wanted was for Veronica to return so she could grasp her hand. She began curling her nails into her palm, a nasty habit she had for when she was anxious or overwhelmed. Hiram picked up on the shift in her heart rate instantly, and changed his composure. He smiled gently at her, and sit in Veronica's chair to eliminate the height difference as best as he could. He may have a stern looking exterior, but the man had a heart of gold, especially towards his daughter and anyone his daughter had a fondness of.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," Hiram read off the title of the book Veronica was currently reading to Betty, picking the book up gently and inspecting it, along with the others in the pile. "Have you read it before?"

Betty, who was calming down slowly, blushing a light pink before answering. "I've read at least half of the books there, some twice even." She admitted with a sheepish smile, drawing a look of surprise from Hiram. "But Veronica seems so pleased with herself for choosing them… so I figured it couldn't heard to have them read to me for my third time." As she finished, Betty's blush darkened, and a smile found its way to Hiram's lips.

"Well, your secret's safe with me." He assured her, standing again as he heard Veronica finishing her blood outside. "If she does start bothering you however, just throw a pillow or two at her. It should shut her up." He offered in a playful manner, wiggling his eyebrows.

" _Papi_ , should I be concerned?" She asked warily, knowing her father as she jokester he could be and not being too keen on the prospects of anything he could have either A) shown Betty, B) told Betty, or C) told Betty to do to her. And from the way the werewolf's eyes were twinkling mischievously, she was figuring it was likely option C.

"Not at all _mija_." Hiram said, though he made it a point to sound as suspicious as possible. "Miss Betty, it was a pleasure, and remember what I told you." With that, he bowed in Betty's direction, giving her a wink on the way back up. As he took his leave, Veronica glanced over at Betty, only to find her sitting there with an innocent smile gracing her lips.

"I don't know what fucking hell you two have plotted but it scares me." Veronica muttered as she curled back into her chair, causing Betty to laugh so hard she was grasping at her ribs in pain, but later on she decided that the pain was worth it. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard.

* * *

  
The next time Veronica left Betty's side was when Hermione came to check on them and noticed both girls were fighting sleep. She ordered both of them to get some rest, waving Veronica to her side in order to escort her back to her room. Both girls were silently protesting, neither wanting to leave the other's side, but nobody argued. They simply smiled at each other and bid everyone goodnight, before the separated for the night.

They didn't have to wait long to see each other again.

Maybe two hours later, replying over in Betty's mind was memories of what Cheryl had done to her, morphing on to take a life of the people she cared about took her place, her sister, her best friend, and what made her want to cry out in fear was when it was Veronica in the shackles, being abused in captivity. Veronica woke up to the sounds of Betty whimpering down the hall. No human would've been able to hear her, not even a vampire if they hadn't been specially listening for something, but in an instant Veronica was up and down the hall, entering the room to find Betty thrashing about in her sleep.

She quickly slid into the bed with Betty, pulling her gently into her arms and carding her fingers through her hair. Everything Veronica did just felt right, pressing a kiss to Betty's forehead and beginning to hum a lullaby softly. She watched in amazement as the fear on Betty's face disappeared, and her amazement only grew as Betty draped an arm over her waist, moving to bury her face in her shoulder with a contented noise that made her heart melt. It only took Veronica a few minutes to drift off like that, holding Betty with the blonde's arm keeping her close.

After that it was sort of an unspoken rule that Veronica would be sleeping with Betty form here on out, and nobody argued with that. 

* * *

 

It was around the fourth night of her stay before Betty was able to start getting up and moving again, with Veronica's aid of course, and she began joining Hermione and Hiram for dinner downstairs. The first night getting from her bed to the table was anything but graceful, however Veronica was with her the entire way. She had her arm looped around Betty's waist when she helped her to stand, and took Betty's arm, wrapping it around her shoulders when she noticed Betty having trouble bearing all the wait on her ribs. It took a little bit of effort, but by the time they made it to the bottom of the stairwell they were moving as though they were one person. As soon as they had the dining room in their sights, there was a small whoosh and Hiram was at their side, offering Betty his arm in a very gentlemanly manner. Betty smiled thankfully at him and took his arm with her own, keeping her other arm around Veronica as she wasn't quite ready to give up the feeling of having her so close by. Hermione was waiting to pull out Betty's chair for her once they reached the table, and Veronica quickly took the seat to her right, beaming at her in pride for making it out of the bed. It was nice, eating with the Lodges. Hermione and Hiram were sure not to overwhelm her with questions, though she did tell them about her interest in writing, and about her family back within the pack. It was bittersweet for Betty, as it donned on her that she would have to return to her pack at some point. She loved her family and friends, but something about being with the Lodges… she felt at home. Veronica sensed Betty's sadness, and reached out to take her hand under the table. Betty wasted no time in giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

After dinner, and after Veronica had helped Betty return to bed, she'd gone back to the kitchen for a glass of water and overhead her parents talking. 

"The Blossoms called. They want us to… return, what Veronica took from Cheryl." Hermione was spitting the words out like they were poison, and to Veronica they were. It was straight toxin that made her blood boil in rage, but before she had a chance to act upon it, her father did.

"Absolutely not. Betty is not property, she is a girl, and a lovely girl at that. All they want to do is abuse her for sport, and you can go ahead and tell the Blossoms that if they want her, they're going to have to comeback through me."

Veronica loved her father with all her heart, and was proud of him every day, but she had never been prouder of him than she was in that moment.

* * *

 

On the seventh day of Betty's stay, Veronica decided to show her around the "garden". Said garden of course was maybe three acres of flowers and a path through the forest. Betty had been telling Veronica how free she felt running through the woods, so Veronica thought it might be nice to let Betty get some exposure to nature after being away for so long. She packed them a picnic and took one of her father's antique canes (still functional of course, just because it's antique doesn't mean it's fragile, and like hell she'd give Betty a faulty object to bear down on) from his study for Betty to use on their walk. She was beginning to feel better, but still struggled with walking for long periods of time.

Betty seemed to be a bundle of excitement, even if she had to take breaks, leaned against Veronica or a tree (she preferred Veronica to the tree immensely), she was loving being back in the woods, even if it wasn't her woods. And Veronica loved being in the woods with Betty. Betty was rattling off each type of tree they past, and pointing out signs of deer any time she spotted them (they both ignored the fact she found them so easily due to predatory instinct). Veronica also knew her fair share of nature facts, letting Betty know the meaning of every flower they came across. Well almost every one, she refused to tell her the meaning of a certain flower that she made them stop in order to pick a small bouquet of, promptly giving them to Betty with a smile. All she could drag out of her was the name.

"Lily of the valley."

It was then, while they were stopped, Betty with her nose buried in her bouquet and Veronica standing there watching her, adoration so clearly in her eyes to anyone who wasn't oblivious, that a large, blonde wolf pounced on Veronica from the underbrush. The force of the attack paired with Veronica's utter unpreparedness sent her sprawling to the ground on her back, the ravenous animal on top of her. As she laid there, she could hear Betty screaming.

"Polly, no! Polly, get off of her! Polly!"

Betty knew whoever this wolf was, and that meant Veronica couldn't hurt her. She could never hurt someone Betty knew, perhaps even cared for, so she allowed this Polly to sink her teeth into her shoulder without putting up a fight, choosing to grunt out in pain instead. She could take a few bites, a few scratches, hell as long as it wasn't anything too serious she would heal, but she couldn't take hurting Betty inadvertently by harming someone she knew. She also couldn't survive if she got her throat ripped out, so as Polly released her shoulder from her mouth, Veronica moved to roll over on her stomach and shield her throat, only to feel Polly's weight vanish from her chest. Veronica was back on her feet in a flash, looking in disbelief and mild horror as a new wolf had knocked Polly off of her and was now pinning her to the ground. This wolf had a richer, more golden fur than the other, and was slightly larger, in both height and muscle. It was snarling at the other, snapping and baring its teeth, and when it swung its large head back to look at Veronica, she instantly recognized those gorgeous green eyes. That was her Betty, in all her glory, defending her despite her injuries. Polly rolled over, baring her stomach and her throat in submission, and with a moment's hesitation, both girls shifted back to their human form. Betty was panting and grasping at her ribs, and Veronica was with her in a matter of seconds.

"Betty, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

"Betty why on Earth are you defending a bloodsucker?"

Both Veronica and Polly spoke at the same time, and they immediately glared at one another. Betty grimaced slightly in pain, before looking up at the girls.

"Polly, this is Veronica Lodge, the girl who saved me. Veronica, this is Polly. My sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based Hiram's appearance off of Mark Consuelos as he has tentatively been cast to play Hiram in season two.
> 
> As for the meaning of the lily of the valley, it means "you make my life complete".


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait for an update, I got caught up with school work, so I hope this chapter can make up for it!
> 
> As always, I do not have a beta reader, so all mistakes are my own damn fault.

"What did you do to my sister you _leech_?" Polly snarled, clearly still very untrusting of Veronica, even if Betty seemed so comfortable in her presence, allowing her to inspect her ribs and help her to her feet. When Veronica simply ignored Polly, she got to her feet, shoving her. "Did you compel her or something? Compel her to think you're some kind of fucking hero?" She moved to shove Veronica again, only to be blocked by Betty, who growled deeply, eyes filled with something Veronica couldn't quite explain.

Before Veronica could respond to Polly, Hiram and Hermione were there, both with fangs bared, and Hiram clutching a crossbow. Veronica's eyes flew to the arrows he had in his quiver, one already notched in the weapon. The arrows were silver-tipped of course, and instantly she shoved both Betty and Polly behind her, even if Polly was quick to protest.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry, there's just a misunderstanding going on." Veronica assured them, hand instinctively seeking out Betty's behind her. Betty was quick to indulge her.

"We smelled a werewolf that wasn't Betty." Hermione stated, eyes never leaving Polly even with Veronica shielding her body with her own. "We figured you were in trouble, and with that bite on your shoulder it looks like we were right." True, the bite was pretty bad, and it hurt like a bitch, but Veronica didn't budge.

"She's Betty's sister, Mom." That was all it took to get Hiram to lower the crossbow, however glares were still being shot in Polly's direction as Hermione came forwards to check on Veronica's wound.

Polly just looked absolutely flabbergasted. "What in the name of hell is going on here?" She finally mumbled, accepting that nobody was here to hurt Betty or herself, and looking to Betty in confusion. Betty rolled her eyes before explaining that, no Veronica didn't compel her, and had in fact saved her from the vampire that had taken and abused her. After the explanation Polly was apologizing profusely to Veronica, to which Veronica humbly assured her it was not a problem, and that she was glad that Betty had a sister so willing to protect her. Betty was less pleased, sticking close to Veronica, and even Polly picked up on how Betty's stance seemed to be shielding the shorter vampire from anything that could be perceived as a threat, Polly and Veronica's parents both included in that grouping. Curiosity led Polly to try to casually slip behind Veronica as she spoke to her parents about setting up lunch at the house, and how they needed to tell some guy named Smithers to set an extra plate, only to be greeted with a low growl that fell from Betty's lips. When Polly looked up at her little sister, she noticed that Betty looked almost shocked at her own actions, and she couldn't help but begin to smile a little, the pieces of why her sister was acting so possessively slowly coming into place. Betty simply blushed and looked away, but Polly still stood there with a stupid grin on her face when Veronica turned towards them and asked Polly to join them for lunch. She quickly agreed, and watched as Veronica looped arms with Betty, waiting for her to get adjusted with her cane, and gingerly helping her back towards that mansion. They'd only taken a couple of steps when Betty holding, looking back towards the ground.

"Wait, my flowers..." She murmured, searching for the bouquet that had been discarded in the shuffle.

Polly was the first to spot them, and when she did she raised an eyebrow in Veronica's direction. She deftly stooped to pick the flowers up and hand them to her sister, and brushed against Veronica gently to get her attention. "Lily of the valley?" She noted with a tone of amusement, watching as the vampire blushed and averted her eyes. That was all it took for Polly to decide maybe Veronica wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

  
Betty couldn't stay mad at Polly long. 

By the time they made it back to the house, Polly and Betty were laughing together, Polly informing Veronica of all the embarrassing Betty stories she knew, including the time she (inaccurately) guessed one of their pack elders was having an affair, and staged a stakeout in order to find proof. All that she wound up with was a giant scare as the man pounced on her in his wolf form, and the knowledge that no, Mr. Garcia did not cheat on his wife, he simply snuck out to the supermarket every now and then to refresh his own private stash of Doritos.

Betty shrugged, blushing a fierce red as Polly and Veronica cackled with laughter. "Laugh it up. I guess I read a few too many Nancy Drew stories." She muttered in her defense, which only caused them to laugh harder. All through lunch these stories were shared, until Polly inadvertently dropped a bomb.

"So Betty can come home today with me, right?"

Betty found herself choking on her water, and Veronica shifted nervously in her seat. She knew that Betty wasn't going to stay forever, she had a family after all, but she also knew that once she left… there wasn't much of a chance she'd come back. It'd be too dangerous, having her return with all these vampires to risk her safety. But still, Betty belonged with her family. "You can leave later today if you want." Veronica offered, not meeting anyone's gaze. She could feel Betty stiffen, feel her eyes land on her and feel her studying her, but she didn't look up. If she did, people may see the tears glazing in her eyes.

Polly didn't seem to notice the exchange, she just made a noise of excitement, and grabbed Betty's hand, squeezing it with sisterly love. "Mom's convinced that you ran away, but the boys and I never believed it. I can't wait to see her face when you come back." Betty made a noncommittal sound of agreement, and when Veronica did look up to meet her stare, she could've sworn that she saw sadness in those astounding green eyes.

* * *

  
Gathering Betty's things went far too quickly. It wasn't like she had much, only the clothes she was wearing that first night at the Blossom's (cleaned and pressed by Smithers), and a sweatshirt Veronica urged her to take, as it was getting a little brisk as the day progressed. It didn't take much convincing for Betty to agree in taking it. Before Betty and Veronica could really process it, they were piling into the car along with Polly, Hiram driving and Hermione riding shotgun. This seating arrangement only lasted a moment as it dawned on them that Hiram had no idea where he was going, and Polly hoped into the driver's seat to take over. When Hiram got in the back with the girls, he didn't comment on how Veronica was practically pressed flush against Betty, and Betty didn't seem to mind.

As they began driving towards the outskirts of town, curiosity took over as Veronica shifted marginally away from Betty in order to peer out the window. She'd never really been this far out of the center of town, and while she knew there was a supermarket the werewolves ran just before the town devolved into woods, everything else was new to her. Betty began pointing out certain things, like the lake hidden beyond the trees that was amazing to swim in during the summer, and how the deer liked to cluster in a certain meadow where the grass was sweetest. Listening to Betty's voice fill with elation in her explanations only made the car ride pass faster, and all too soon Polly was pulling into a camp ground like area, rows and rows of log cabins grouped in a circular type pattern around a large bonfire area in the center. As soon as the car was in park wolves descended upon them, coming from all directions and snarling at them through the windows. Veronica grabbed Betty's hand, and Betty let out a low growl, for whatever reason giving Veronica chills at the sound. Polly was quick the get out of the vehicle and calm the situation, and one of the wolves shifted human again, a blonde woman who looked strikingly similar to the Cooper sisters standing in its place.

"Mom." Betty breathed, and she too was scrambling from the car in order to hug the woman. The woman, Alice Cooper as Veronica would find out, didn't hug back with nearly enough enthusiasm.

"I'm glad that you're back, sweetie." Alice cooed, though her tone seemed rather indifferent, and Veronica would've had something to say about it had it not been for another wolf shifting and running towards them. It was a red haired wolf, turning into a tall, toned redheaded boy, who wasted no time in rushing over.

"Betty!" He called out, and in seemingly slow motion, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her.

* * *

  
In the car ride home, Veronica's head was buzzing with all the new information she'd gathered trying to shove itself to the front of her mind. Number one, Alice Cooper clearly has never meet her own daughter, because she seems to be under the impression that Betty is an omega. _"She's Archie's omega."_ Alice had put it, so very bluntly. _"He's her mate."_ She'd seen Betty have her own sister submit to her a few hours ago, there was no way she was anybody's omega, Betty was a damn alpha. That led her into the second new thing she'd learned. Betty had a mate. _A mate_. And her mate was none other than that damned red-head, Archie, who couldn't keep his eyes off that other wolf, Valerie. Fucking mates her ass. She couldn't understand why the fact Betty had a mate bothered her so much though. But low and behold, as she thought of Archie kissing Betty, putting his arm around her, claiming her as his, Veronica felt rage and jealousy surging through her veins, along with the overwhelming urge to pull Betty into her own arms, to claim her for herself. Thinking of holding Betty made her heart absolutely ache with sadness and loneliness. Alice had all but shoved them off of pack territory once the Lodges had said their goodbyes to Betty.

Hiram had insisted she keep the cane for as long as it took for her to recover, and it'd give her a reason to come visit in order to return it. Both of them knew though, that the likelihood of Betty coming back to the Lodge house was very slim. Betty had hugged him tightly, and when they broke apart, Hiram didn't mention how he saw that her eyes were glistening with tears. Betty didn't mention how much she wished Hiram was her own father. Hermione moved to hug Betty next, and in that time Veronica tried hard to steel herself. She shouldn't have felt as heartbroken as she did in that moment. After all, Betty was just some girl she decided to help in the moment, a chance encounter, an act of fate. It shouldn't feel as though someone was ripping her heart from her chest just to say " _goodbye_ " to the girl she was never supposed to meet. But it did, and when it was her turn for goodbyes, she clung to Betty like a lifeline, burying her head in the crook of her neck and memorizing the scent that she'd come to associate with something like home. Betty was holding just as tight, and neither girl said a thing, simply holding each other in silence. Veronica could feel unease shoot through the crowd of wolves, hear feet begin to shuffle and confused murmurs being whispered from ear to ear, so she slowly pulled away from Betty, forcing tears back.

"I'll see you around B." She couldn't bring herself to actually say " _goodbye_ ", couldn't think that this was the last time she'd see the girl that made her heart skip and her head feel light with a feeling she could only describe as giddiness.

Betty seemed content with the lack of goodbye as well, squeezing her hands gently as a last ditch effort to keep Veronica close. "Yeah, I'll see you Ronnie." After that Alice practically swooped in, linking arms with her daughter and dragging her further into pack territory, talking loudly about insignificant things as Betty stole one last glance in Veronica's direction, before allowing herself to be led off. That last look back was all Veronica could think about as she walked from the car to her room, not saying a word as her parents tried gently to engage her. She didn't stop until she was in the guest room, _Betty's room_ , and laid down on the bed, engulfing herself in the blankets and trying to drown herself in Betty's scent that still lingered in the room. When Hermione poked her head in to check on Veronica an hour later, she found that she had cried herself to sleep.

* * *

 

Betty's reintroduction to the pack was no better. Half of the wolves were afraid to be near her, afraid that she may have been compelled or turned (even if they'd be able to smell the vampire blood in her if she had been turned), and the other half flat out snarled whenever she came close, murmuring about her being a "vampire's pet". Betty had never really felt a part of the pack to begin with, too much of her mother's pressure to be her picture of perfect, but still, being shunned hurt. Archie, Jughead, Kevin and Polly stuck by her side of course, rushing to her aid when the noticed the glares, and steering her towards her cabin to get her out of the limelight. As soon as she was out of the public eye, Betty's head began to swarm, and she practically collapsed onto the couch in her cabin. She and Polly shared their own cabin, both making a strong argument for it to their parents and pack elders, and it was times like this, times where Betty needed space to breathe, and think, and just get the fuck away from it all, that she'd wonder what would have happened if they'd been denied their request. She could vaguely hear Polly shooing all the boys out, and for that she was entirely grateful, because as soon as she heard the door shut, signaling she was alone with just her sister, she broke down, sobbing into a pillow as Polly strode over and wrapped her up in her arms. Something inside of her just snapped, and everything that had been pent up inside of Betty, all the fear and pain she'd felt under Cheryl's control, the anger at herself for being foolish enough to allow herself to be trapped by her in the first place, unhappiness at how her life in the pack played out, every filling of unworthiness and self hatred that Betty had been harboring, it was all pouring out, mingling with this overwhelming sense of grief she couldn't explain, like a piece of her heart had been ripped out, a piece that she wasn't even aware existed. Through all of this, as Petty rubbed her back gently, consoling her and cooing softly, Betty vaguely marveled at the fact the wolf side of her felt the urge to howl in this newfound agony, to howl as though her mate was gone, and she was unaware of just how to take that.

* * *

  
Later, when Polly had finally coaxed Betty into leaving the cabin to grab a bit of dinner before tucking her into bed, the nightmares came back. Staying with the Lodges, she'd had quite a few, mostly about her stay with Cheryl, but Veronica had been there to wake her immediately, drawing her out when things got bad. This time, there was nobody there to save her. Vivid memories of her mistreatment danced across her eyelids, flashbacks of the silver being pressed to her skin until it burned, something those damned scars on her wrists will never allow her to forget). How the wolfsbane made her feel so sick she'd vomited, exhaustion so strong she felt she'd collapse. The memories played on and on, until they began to shift and morph, until it wasn't her in the chains, it was Veronica. And she was screaming. The sound caused agony to shoot through Betty's system, and she could feel her dream self scramble to get to Veronica, to her Ronnie, only to find herself in a paralyzed state, unable to move as she began to bleed from unseen injuries, screeching for Betty to help it. It wasn't until Betty had seen Veronica die in front of her eyes that Polly was able to shake her awake, apparently having heard her from down the hall. Betty ignored whatever soothing words Petty was trying to impart on her, instead shooting up from the bed and rushing to the corner of her room, grabbing Veronica's sweatshirt from where she had discarded it. Polly didn't question a thing when Betty got back into the bed, burrowing her face within the fabric and inhaling deeply, inhaling the sweet, comforting scent of her vampire. Her true mate.

 

* * *

 

Veronica didn't leave her room until around noon the next day, all the books she'd gotten from the library in hand. Her parents were instantly at her side, asking her all sorts of questions to try to cheer her up. "Do you want to go to Pop's for lunch?", "Did you sleep well?", "Isn't it beautiful today?", all of their questions were met with silence, until Veronica simply headed towards the door. "I have to return these to the library." She mumbled, and that was that. She didn't bother to wait to have Smithers drive her, she didn't even use vampire speed to get there, she was just headed down the driveway, seemingly lost in thought. She did however, wish she'd accepted Smithers' offer to drive, when she heard the voice of the last person she wanted to deal with at the moment.

"Where's your little pet, Lodge?"

Cheryl Blossom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What have I done… I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not too sure how many chapters this will have, I know I have at one more chapter that I'm working on, so you can expect at least that.


End file.
